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You have the Power! (Ephesians 1:20-23)

By Jeremy Myers
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You have the Power! (Ephesians 1:20-23)
https://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1075220962-redeeminggod-you-have-the-power-ephesians-120-23.mp3

Do you feel exhausted and overwhelmed by life? Is sin and temptation beating you at every turn? Do you feel defeated and ineffective in your attempts to follow Jesus in discipleship? If so, then the truths of Ephesians 1:20-23 are for you! These verses reveal that you have all the power of God at your disposal. Therefore, you can be victorious in your Christian life! This podcast study on Ephesians 1:20-23 also includes a discussion about crusade evangelism like those put on by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Greg Laurie.

Are Evangelism Crusades Effective?

Here is a question from a listener:

What do you think of crusade revivals like Billy Graham or Greg Laurie outreaches? Don’t you think there are many ways to evangelize?

Yes, there are many, many ways to evangelize. Evangelism crusades like those of Billy Graham and Greg Laurie are only one way … and in my personal opinion, maybe the least effective form of evangelism.

I have a large section devoted to evangelism in my giant book (1275 pages!!!), Close Your Church for Good, and in it, I argue that while crusade evangelism has indeed done a lot to help spread the gospel and bring people into the family of God, crusade evangelism does a terrible job of follow-up discipleship and helping make long-term, faithful, and committed followers of Jesus Christ.

Crusade evangelism gets a lot of media attention and glory because of the crowds it attracts, but relational evangelism is far more effective because it builds an actual, loving, and ongoing relationship with someone so that you can be there for them in the trials and problems that come with following Jesus.

When you develop a long-term friendship with someone, they see the struggles and challenges you face. They watch you deal with lost jobs, broken marriages, and moral failures. But through it all, they also observe your faith and commitment to following Jesus and serving others.

It’s not perfect. It’s not glorious. But it’s real. There are no jumbotrons and spotlights, but there are small acts of love. There are no news headlines, but there are daily commitments to faith and hope in God, even when God doesn’t act like we think He should.

God brings people into His family in all sorts of ways, and Crusade Evangelism is one of them. But it is not the only way of evangelism, nor (in my opinion) is it even the best.

You can read a bit more about crusade evangelism in these two posts:

  • Is crusade evangelism effective?
  • Is the Gospel really preached at Evangelism Crusades?

Better yet, just get my giant book, Close Your Church for Good, to get pretty much everything I have written about evangelism.

You have the Power! (Ephesians 1:20-23)

Everybody wants power. Kids want power. Adults want power.

Some seek it through getting lots of money. Some people seek power through political office. Many presidents, senators, congressman are where they are simply because they have a lust for power.

Of course, power is not a bad thing. Power is not evil. It is like food or money or possessions. These are not bad things, but if they become our obsession, they become idols. If we want too much of these things, they become perverted from what they were designed for. Power is not a bad thing, as long as it comes from the right source, and is used correctly.

In fact, what the world longs for—ultimate and all-consuming power—guess what?—Christians already have.

It is interesting, is it not, that most of the things the world longs for—never-ending life, overwhelming joy, unconditional love, satisfaction, power—all of these things are already found … and only found … in the Christian life.

Today we are just looking at the power that we have as Christians.

power Ephesians 1 19-23

We briefly talked about power already in Ephesians 1:19, but Paul spends the next four verses (Ephesians 1:20-23) explaining more about the power we have as Christians. Let’s look briefly at the end of Ephesians 1:19 as a way of introducing this power.

Ephesians 1:19. …That power is like the working of his mighty strength,

Paul uses three terms for power here. The first term in the Greek is working. It is the Greek word energion. It is from this that we get the English word energy. Energion is supernatural energy. It is the powerful working of God.

The second word is kratos. It means power. This word is used 12 times in the New Testament and in eleven of those it refers to power that belongs to God alone. The twelfth time, found in Hebrews 2:14 shows that Satan has a similar kind of power—but it is only the power of death. Satan gained this power by rebelling against God, but at the end of time, the power of death will be destroyed.

The third word in this verse is iskus. It means might or strength.

Now, why have I gone into so much detail about this power? I went into detail because Paul used three different words to describe God’s power, and whenever Scripture says something three times in a row, it is worth noting. Scripture says elsewhere that God is “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8), which means that He is perfectly holy. It is one of His supreme attributes.

Unmasking the PowersSo here, when the Bible says (cf. also Ephesians 6:10) that God is powerful, powerful, powerful, we know that He is completely powerful. It also is one of His primary characteristics. In theological terms, we say that God is omnipotent – all powerful.

But what does that mean? Power is a little abstract, right? It’s hard to get a grasp on how powerful God is. So Paul gives us in the next four verses some concrete examples of how great this power is. Let us begin with Ephesians 1:20.

Ephesians 1:20. … which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

How great is this power of God? Well, first of all, God used it when He raised Jesus from the dead. Do you know any power of this world that can do that? There are many powers in the world that can take life. In fact, as I just mentioned, that is the kind of power Satan has.

But God has the kind of power that gives life. The power that raised Jesus from the dead, as the verse says. But Ephesians 1:20 says even more than that.

It also says that Jesus Christ was given a seat at the right hand of God in the heavenly realms. He was not just raised from the dead; He was also given the right to rule at God’s right hand!

Remember when we looked at Ephesians 1:3, we learned that the phrase “in heavenly places” does not refer to some otherworldly location where only God and the angels dwell, but instead refers to this present earthly location.

As stated in that study, while the phrase “in the heavenlies” does refer to a spiritual reality, it refers to the spiritual reality as it is carried out in the physical realm, here on this earth, during our lives now.

So when Jesus ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God, what this really means is that He ascended to His throne to rule and reign over this earth, so that He could bring the reality of heaven down to this earth. The rest of the letter of Ephesians explain exactly how Jesus does this … but Paul gives a foreshadowing of how this occurs right here in Ephesians 1:21-23.

In Ephesians 1:21, we see the beginning of what it means for Jesus to rule over the earth.

Ephesians 1:21. [Jesus is seated] … far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

In Paul’s day, these five words—rule, authority, power, dominion and title—described different levels of spiritual beings. It is kind of like a spiritual hierarchy. But guess what? It is not just a spiritual reality. The Bible reveals that the terms Paul uses here refers to spiritual realities that govern, guide, and direct the earthly rulers, governments, and political leaders of our world.

The terms “rule, authority, power, and dominion” refer to earthly rulers, nations, institutions, and powers that dominate this world (cf. Dan 4:35, 10:13). Walter Wink’s book, Naming the Powers, is the best available study on this subject if you want to learn more. (His “Powers Trilogy” should be required reading for all Christians, so also get Unmasking the Powers and Engaging the Powers.)

A proper understanding of these terms is critically important for understanding spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-20, and so we will discuss the terms more when we get there.

For now, just understand that Paul’s words here can be understood this way: Paul is saying, “Hey, I know that you have concerns about your government and what they are doing, your local and national leaders and how they seem to only make policies and laws that benefit themselves, the police and how they abuse their power, the financial institutions and how they steal from the poor, the power structures at your job and how they endanger your income, and the social and cultural issues of racism, sexism, and inequality … but all these powers, rulers, and authorities are under Jesus Christ. He has dominion and power over them. So don’t worry about them too much. Jesus is in control.”

Paul’s point here is that we don’t have to worry about these things. He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. Christ is far above all rule, authority, power, dominion and title.

This is exactly what Paul says in Ephesians 1:22…

Ephesians 1:22. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything

God took all the things that are wrong about this world, and placed them under the feet of Jesus. That is, Jesus was given authority over them. Jesus, as Paul writes, was appointed to be the head over everything.

But this leads to a problem, doesn’t it?

As we look around at the world, does it look like Jesus is in control of everything?

Are governments, and politicians, and banks, and leaders, and educational institutions, and all the other power structures of our world doing things in the way Jesus would do them?

Hardly!

So how is it that all such things have been placed under the authority of Jesus? How can all such things be brought under the control of Jesus so that they do what Jesus wants done in this world?

The answer is found in Ephesians 1:23.

Ephesians 1:23. … which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

What is Paul referring to here? What is the body to which Paul refers?

bethechurch2It is the church.

Though Jesus is the answer to the problems of the world, the church is the solution. The church is how Jesus accomplishes changes in the world. 

Jesus is in control of the power structures of this world by calling and leading the church to make the changes in this world that Jesus wants.

In other words, to the same extent that the church steps up and does what we are called to do, to that same extent Jesus exerts authority over the world.

Alternately, when the power structures of this world are doing things contrary to the ways of Jesus, this only means that the church is failing in our task to show the world and lead the world into the change Jesus wants to bring into the world.

Let me put it bluntly … all the failures in the world are due to a failure by the church to step up with the power of Christ and lead the world the way Jesus wants.

Sadly, the church often follows the world into the satanic ways of power and greed, when in reality, the church should be leading the world into the ways of Jesus Christ. As goes the church, so goes the world.

When the church steps up as the body of Christ, we, as the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus Christ, will fill everything in every way, and the power of God will flow through us to transform this world in ways that Jesus wants and desires.

Jesus is the head of the world and the head of the church, and as such, the church fills the world and transforms it into the ways of the Kingdom of God.

Pretty exciting concept, right? The rest of the book of Ephesians goes on to explain how exactly the church can step up and be the church in this world that Jesus calls us to be. We will begin looking next time in Ephesians 2:1 about one of the primary power structures of this world and what God has done in Jesus Christ to defeat this power structure, and how we Christians, as members of the body of Christ, can work to achieve this important change in the world.

And by the way, just as one last plug for my book, I have written extensively about all my views about the church in my giant book, Close Your Church for Good. The book is almost 1,300 pages, so it is not a quick read. But in it, I explain what the church is and how the church is supposed to function in this world. If that is something you want to learn more about, get your copy today and start wading through it.

Join me again next week when we pick up in Ephesians 2 with one of the most important truths about how God wants to powerfully work in the church to change one of the greatest problems in this world.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: be the church, crusade evangelism, Ephesians, Ephesians 1:20-23, omnipotent, power

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How can Christians find Fellowship? A discussion with Richard Jacobson (Hebrews 10:25)

By Jeremy Myers
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How can Christians find Fellowship? A discussion with Richard Jacobson (Hebrews 10:25)
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/578611905-redeeminggod-147-how-does-christian-fellowship-work-an-interview-with-richard-jacobson-hebrews-1025.mp3

unchurching richard jacobsonMillions of Christians have questions about church and how to find true Christian fellowship. In this podcast interview, Richard Jacobson and Jeremy Myers discuss how to be the church and why Hebrews 10:25 does not teach that all Christians must attend a church service on Sunday morning.

Church fellowship is critical, but there are a variety of ways God leads us to find this fellowship.

Links mentioned in this discussion with Richard Jacobson:

  • Richard Jacobson’s website: Unchurching.com
  • The Unchurching book on Amazon
  • The Unchurching Comic book
  • Richard Jacobson’s Animated Explainer Videos on YouTube
  • The Unchurching Facebook Group
  • Support Richard Jacobson on Patreon
  • Richard Jacobson’s TED Talk:

God is Redeeming Church, Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: be the church, church, ecclesiology, Hebrews 10:25, One Verse Podcast, Richard Jacobson, unchurching

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Christians Should Go to Hell

By Jeremy Myers
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Christians Should Go to Hell

No, I am not condemning or cursing Christians to hell. Instead, I am inviting them to follow Jesus wherever He leads … even when it is straight to hell. In other words, I am saying that Jesus is leading you to go to hell. 

Let me explain.

The Gates of Hell Will Not Prevail Against It

In my book, The Death and Resurrection of the Church, I point out that the very first time Jesus talked about the church, He said that He was going to build it and that that gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).

When most Christians read this, they imagine the church as this impregnable fortress, with huge white granite walls, behind which all the people of God huddle together in safety as the forces of evil attack from outside.

When most Christians read Matthew 16:18, they think Jesus is saying that the church He is building will be a place for Christians to safely wait out the onslaught of the invading hordes of hell.

But this is exactly the opposite of what Jesus says. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. Do you see? Jesus is saying that the church He is building will go to hell and storm the gates of hell.

In other words, who has the gates and walls which keep out the invading army? Not the church, but hell.

And therefore, who is the invading army? Not hell, but the church.

When Jesus describes the church He is building, it is not the church which has the walls and gates, but hell. And it is not the devil and his forces that are attacking the gates of the church, but the church which is attacking the gates of hell. It is the church which will go to hell to rescue those who are there.

The gates of hell are under siege by Jesus and His church.

Jesus storms the gates of hellIt is not the church that is attempting to hide behind gleaming walls as against an invading army. No, it is Satan and his minions who are huddled behind their blackened walls, hoping that the gates will hold.

Jesus says they will not. Jesus says the gates of hell will not prevail. They will not stand. The gates of hell will fall to the invading church.

Of course, this presupposes that the church is on the offensive. That the church is invading hell. That the church has followed Jesus to hell. That the church will go to hell with Jesus.

It’s an exciting prospect!

But there is something else in Jesus’ statement as well.

Where is Hell? It is Here and Now

If the church is here in this world, and if Jesus is leading the church to attack the gates of hell now… then this means that hell is here and now as well.

It has been said that the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. If that’s true, the second greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the church that hell existed only in the afterlife, and only for unbelievers.

The truth, as indicated by Jesus Himself in Matthew 16, is that hell is here and now.  Hell is a kingdom on this earth, and Jesus launched His attack on the gates of hell by inaugurating the kingdom of God on earth. We are now in the middle of a struggle between two kingdoms, and Jesus has shown us that the gates of hell will crumble and fall so that His rule and reign will cover the earth, until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord (Rom 14:11; Php 2:10).

If the church is going to go to hell with Jesus, then this means that the gates of hell must exist here and now, on this earth, during our lives, so that we can go to hell and attack the gates.

In his excellent article, “Hell is a Kingdom,” Brad Jersak writes this:

“Hell is a kingdom, located wherever people are imprisoned and oppressed by the ‘the powers’ and death-dealers of ‘this present darkness’—whether it’s the military-industrial-complex, corporate or political beasts, or any personal affliction, addiction or obsession of choice. … Jesus is not calling the death-snares of this world hades metaphorically in anticipation of the actual subterranean post-mortem hades. Just the opposite: the afterlife mythology of hades is a metaphor for the actual human condition ‘here above.’ The rhetoric or hell is less about the eschatological future and more about educating us in the ‘two ways’ or ‘two kingdoms’ competing for our allegiance here on earth.” (Sinner Irenaeus, aka Brad Jersak, “Hell is a Kingdom: The Missing Motif Reconstructed,” 6).

The message of the kingdom of God as taught by Jesus must be read in light of the idea that hell as a present reality.

It is to the humans caught in the kingdom of hell that Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is at hand” (Matt 4:17) This is not a promise to claim as we wait to die so we can go to heaven and spend an eternal bliss with God. This is a war cry. It is the declaration of Jesus the thief, entering into the strongman’s house, to tie him up and steal his possessions. What possessions? This world and the human beings upon it (Matt 12:29).

So the Church Should Go to Hell

the church should go to hellThe terrible, tragic reality is that while the church gets so caught up in the debate about who goes to hell, and how long they will be there, and whether or not hell is a place of eternal suffering or temporary purification, we are ignoring the people living in hell on earth all around us.

The debate about hell keeps us from helping those who are suffering in the kingdom of hell here and now. Isn’t that sadly ironic? We strengthen and enable hell by discussing and debating hell.

So where do you see the gates of hell in the lives of your family members? Where do you see the influence and power of hell in your neighborhood? Where do you see hell in your town or city? How can you go to hell by rescuing and delivering them?

Where do you see people living in addiction, bondage, guilt, shame, and fear? Where are they abused, maligned, neglected, forgotten, overlooked, abandoned, and forsaken? Where are they sold? Where are they starving? Where are they seeking love?

Wherever you see such things, you see the gates of hell.

the gates of hell

What is the plan of attack to charge these gates and tear them down? With Jesus at your side, these gates will not prevail against you.

There are two kingdoms at war in this world, the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of hell. Jesus is calling you to participate in one by storming the gates of the other.

Will you answer the call of Jesus and go to hell with Him?

This post is part of the May Synchroblog, in which numerous bloggers around the world write about the same topic on the same day. Links to the other contributors are below. Go and read what they have to say about the topic of hell.

  • An Investigation into the Biblical Concept of Hell – Justin Steckbauer
  • To Hell and Back – Soulcare Ministries
  • The HELL You Say!  – Nathan Jennings
  • Forbidden Fruit = Hell’s Flames – Michael Wilson
  • How long does hell last? – K.W. Leslie
  • The problem of those unable to Love, or the question of hell as a reality – Bram Cools
  • Hell No! – Mike Edwards
  • Five Misconceptions about Annihilationism – Wesley Rostoll
  • Knowing Who You Trust – Tim Nichols
  • Heretic (Belated) Fridays – Bradley Jersak – Her Gates Will Never Be Shut– Scott Sloan
  • Hell – A Place of Passionate Desire – Alan Stevens
  • Oh, Hell, NO! – Liz Dyer

God is Redeeming Church, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: be the church, church, gates of hell, hell, kingdom of god, kingdom of heaven, Matthew 12:29, Matthew 16:18, Matthew 4:17, Philippians 2:10, Romans 14:11, synchroblog

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10 Reasons You Should NOT Join my Online Discipleship Group

By Jeremy Myers
6 Comments

10 Reasons You Should NOT Join my Online Discipleship Group

My online discipleship group is for people who know they don’t have all the answers, who want to seek truth, wherever it is found, and who like to be challenged in their Christian beliefs and practices. If that describes you, join us today!

On the other hand, below are 10 reasons why you might not be a good fit for my online discipleship group.

online discipleship group

You should NOT join my discipleship group IF …

1. You are pretty sure that all of your theology is correct.

I teach some challenging ideas in my discipleship group, and question some fairly traditional church teachings. This might ruffle your feathers.

If you do not like to have your theology or your understanding of Scripture challenged because you think that everything you believe is already 100% correct, the RedeemingGod.com discipleship group will not be a good fit for you. We value asking the hard questions and enjoy discussing difficult issues.

2. You think that the only right way to do church is the way you do it in your church

Be the ChurchSeveral of the courses that are offered in the RedeemingGod.com discipleship area will challenge the way you think about church and do church. For many people, the way they “do church” is the only right way to do it, and anybody who does things differently is doing it wrong.

If that is how you think, the discipleship area is not for you. Our discipleship group contains many people who faithfully follow Jesus every single day without ever stepping foot inside a church building. I think that’s fantastic, because “being” the church does not require “going” to church.

3. You think it is a sin for men to have long hair.

Ok, this one is a little light-hearted, but you would be surprised to know how often I get emails and private FB messages from people who challenge me on the length of my hair. “How can you claim to be a Christian and teach the Bible to others if you have long hair?” they say. “Don’t you know what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:14?

The answer, of course, is that I am very well aware, but I understand the verse in its original context, and so believe it is not a sin at all for men to have long hair. (Paul doesn’t even say it is a sin, by the way.)

The point is that if my hair length is a sticking point for you, this is an indication that you will also have difficulty with the rest of what we discuss inside the discipleship group, and therefore, it is probably not for you.

Jeremy Myers hair

4. You are a die-hard Calvinist, Arminian, Pentecostal, Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, non-denominationalist, or “Fill-in-the-Blank.”

I don’t promote any one specific tradition or belief system inside the discipleship group, and try to encourage others to do the same. Rather, we try to learn from each other, and pull the good ideas and practices from all Christian backgrounds and traditions. So if you are firmly part of one particular tradition and want to push and promote it on others, this discipleship group will not be a good fit for you.

Furthermore, if you are fully invested in one of these traditions, it is quite likely that some of what we teach and discuss in the group will challenge some of your beliefs and practices, and if you find this offensive or scary, you are probably better off joining a group that is from your particular tradition or practice so that everybody agrees with you and affirms what you do.

In other words, to be part of our discipleship group, you have to be able to be gracious toward those who disagree, and be willing to learn from others,

5. You believe that there are some questions that are “off limits.”

We ask some hard questions inside the discipleship group. Some people are uncomfortable with asking hard questions because their faith cannot handle the challenge. We ask, for example, whether or not God actually exists, whether or not Genesis 1 teaches 7-day creationism, and whether or not a person can be a Christian and still go sin all they want. We even ask some questions that make you squirm, such as “Is masturbation wrong?” or “What was Jesus’ view about homosexuality?”

If these sorts of questions make you angry or uncomfortable, the discipleship group is not for you.

I believe, however, that truth can stand up to any and all questions, and that since God made us to be inquisitive, creative, rational people, it is our duty and obligation to ask any and every question that comes up. If we are right in what we believe, then asking the questions only strengthens our faith, but if we are wrong, then hopefully we want to know it, and we only discover the truth by asking questions.

If you like to ask questions, the discipleship group is for you.

6. You don’t like to read, study, learn, or think.

My online discipleship group is information heavy. It is mostly focused on reading, listening, and writing. There are online courses, quizzes, and books. You will be asked to study, think, and inquire.

A good rule of thumb is that unless you like to read (or listen to) at least 30 books a year, you probably won’t like my online discipleship group. The discipleship area is focused on text and audio material, and so if you don’t spend much time reading theology books, studying Scripture, or listening to theology podcasts or books on audio, you probably won’t enjoy the discipleship area of this website.

Books by Jeremy MyersBut if you love theology podcasts, listening to sermons on the radio, and reading books about Scripture and theology, then the discipleship area will be great for you. This is especially true if you love having your mind stretched, if you embrace difficult questions, and if you enjoy being introduced to new ideas and different ways of viewing Scripture.

7. You only want to study and learn if you get an accredited degree out of it.

If that’s the case, you should probably just go to a Bible College or Seminary. While much what I teach is at the Bible College or Seminary level, and while my discipleship area is 99.99% cheaper than Bible College or Seminary, you are not going to get an accredited degree out of it.

You will, however, deepen your knowledge of Scripture, grow in your relationship with Jesus, and learn how to love and serve others in a more meaningful way, but you will not be able to put initials before or after your name.

8. You only want Bible study material that is free.

I sometimes get the objection that it is wrong for me to charge for access to my material. When I get this objection from Christians, I always ask them, “Have you ever bought a Christian book? Have you ever paid to attend an Evangelism training seminar? Have you ever wanted to go to Bible College or seminary? Do you tithe to your church?”

You can think of my discipleship area in the same way, except that you also gain a connection to me and other like-minded people around the world. Think of it like buying a book or attending a conference where the author and other attendees are all hanging around to talk with you. Also, while 95% of what I teach and write is available for free in various formats, the discipleship area is how people are able to get my most in-depth teaching in logical format and order.

And just like some people tithe to their church or to some Christian ministry because they believe in what that ministry is doing, there are some people who join my discipleship group because they like the online ministry that I provide around the world. Of course, I am not currently a non-profit organization, and so gifts and membership costs are not tax-deductible, but that should never be the reason you support a ministry anyway.

I do give a lot of material away for free, and even have a free section in my discipleship group, but I work really hard at preparing the books, teachings, and courses that I provide inside the discipleship area. The reason I charge for them is so that I can keep this website up and running and offer the free stuff that I do. Without your support, this website would disappear and I would no longer be able to offer free Bible and Theology training to millions of Christians around the world.

9. You believe that Bible study and theology is always serious and never fun.

I will freely admit that I don’t have the greatest sense of humor. When I was a pastor, I was a terrible joke-teller, so one Sunday an elder gave me a “Laugh” sign and told me to hold it up whenever I told a joke so that the congregation would be prompted to laugh.

grumpy ChristianNevertheless, I believe that Bible study and theology should never be boring, and that it is okay to laugh, have fun, and approach Scripture light-heartedly. Sure, it is the most important area of study in the world, but this doesn’t mean we have to approach it with nothing but frowns and furrowed brows. Let’s laugh, smile, joke, and have fun.

10. You get angry and defensive when someone challenges your beliefs, and you start calling them names like “heretic” or “false teacher.”

If you have a habit of calling people heretics and false teachers on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog, this discipleship group is not for you. We do not allow divisive behavior like name-calling and public shaming to occur. It is completely okay to disagree with me or anyone else in the group, but it is not okay to try to “win the argument” through abusive and bullying behavior like name-calling and shaming.

So if you only want to join the discipleship group to push your theological agenda and force everyone to believe the way you do, you might want to look elsewhere.

11. You believe that most Democrats (or Republicans, or Progressives, or Conservatives, or Liberals, or Sots, or Anarchists, or “Fill in the Blank”) are evil.

We are not about politics here. We do believe that theology does guide our politics, and we agree that political views can be discussed as part of the discipleship process, but just as we do not condone or allow name-calling and shaming of other people because they hold different theological views, so also, we do not allow name-calling or shaming of people who hold different political views.

If you hate all people who voted for Trump, or if you hate all people who voted for Hillary, this group is not for you, because we have people in the group who did both.

12. You get a thrill out of pointing out where people are wrong.

finger pointingIf you saw point #11 above, and said, “Hey, Jeremy’s a liar. He said there was only 10, and this is number 11! And now he’s moved on to #12!” then maybe the discipleship group is not for you.

Look, I appreciate it when people point out my typos (If you find any in anything you read of mine, please let me know!), and I love a good debate about theology and how to understand Scripture. So if you love these things too, then you will be a good fit for the discipleship group.

If, however, your goal in everything you read or hear is to find the one area in which you disagree just so you can point out to someone where they are wrong, well, you might not be a good fit for the discipleship group.

Still Reading? Please Join Us!

We are a diverse group of people from diverse backgrounds with diverse beliefs. We focus on the core essential elements of following Jesus, and leave room for disagreement and friendly debate. If that sounds good to you, please join us!

The information page about the various discipleship levels contains more information, as well as numerous testimonials from people who are already in the group. Visit that page to read what they have to say, learn more about what is available to you, and join us today. See you on the inside!

If you read through this entire list and are thinking, “Wow, this actually sounds like a place I want to be part of! I would love to learn in this sort of setting!” then register today and start learning along with the rest of us! Go here to learn more and choose which Discipleship level is right for you.

God is Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: be the church, Bible Study, Discipleship, follow Jesus, following Jesus, theology questions

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Now Available … By popular demand … I have a “new” book out!

By Jeremy Myers
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Now Available … By popular demand … I have a “new” book out!

Skeleton Church PaperbackDue to many requests, one of my more popular books, Skeleton Church, is now available as a paperback! Go here to get it on Amazon.

This book has helped thousands of people understand what the church is, and more importantly, how we can ALL live and function together in unity, just as Jesus wanted.

So whether you are in a house church, mega church, or you’re “done” with church … whether you are in a mainline or evangelical church … this book will help you understand what Jesus Christ is building in the world, and how you can both be a part of it and allow others to be their part.

I am pretty excited that this book is now available as a paperback because this makes it more accessible to more people so that more Christians can now live like Jesus in the world.

But that’s not all … As part of preparing this book for publishing as a paperback, it has been edited, revised, and expanded, and now includes a study guide with each chapter, which makes it perfect for small group discussions.

And … that’s not all! Along with updating the book and adding the study guide, I have also created an accompanying online course around the book. The course sells for $97, but when you join my online discipleship group, you can take the course for free.

And there’s more! If you join any of the discipleship levels and take the Skeleton Church online course, you will be able to download a PDF copy of the newly revised and expanded book at the end of the course.

So here is what you need to do:

Skeleton Church Online Course

  1. Buy a copy (or several) of the paperback books from Amazon for yourself (or for your small group study).
  2. Join one of the discipleship levels of RedeemingGod.com
  3. Sign up for the Skeleton Church online course (There are 6 lessons with 3 hours of teaching.)
  4. Go out and live as the church in this world!

Be looking for more books and online courses from me in 2017!

God is Redeeming Books Bible & Theology Topics: be the church, Books by Jeremy Myers, Books I'm Writing, Close Your Church for Good, defining church, definition of church, go to church, Skeleton Church

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